GMO apple producer rolling out product across the U.S.

After a lot of development and no small amount of controversy, Summerland-based biotech Okanagan Specialty Fruits is rolling out its Arctic line of apples across the United States. The controversy comes from the fact the product is genetically modified—a gene that normally causes the apple’s flesh to brown after exposure to air has been suppressed in the patented strain. But what might have been a bruising review by Mother Jones, a left-leaning publication that has been suspicious of GMO foods in the past, turns out to be pretty balanced, with the writer’s main quibble revolving around the company’s use of plastic packaging to sell apple slices for kids’ lunches.